Lignin does not show miscibility with commercial polyolefins. Therefore, industrial waste lignin was modified in two different ways and subsequently blended with commercial polypropylene (PP) up to 25 wt %. A Brabender electronic plasticorder was used for melt mixing at 190°C. The influence of different modifications on the mechanical properties and processing stability was studied for both polymer blends. The blends of PP and lignin modified (esterified) with maleic anhydride showed less deterioration in the mechanical properties compared to blends of PP and alkylated lignin with dichloroethane. Intermolecular interactions between the PP matrix and modified lignin were concluded on the basis of indicative values derived from various relevant theoretical models to the experimental data. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

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PBT/CaCO 3 composites were prepared in a single screw extruder with particle content varying from 0-30% by weight. The influence of surface treatment of the particles, with and without stearic acid (SA), on the mechanical, thermal and structural properties was studied. The experiments included tensile tests, impact tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The composite systems containing SA coated CaCO 3 were found to exhibit better mechanical properties as compared to composite systems containing uncoated CaCO 3 , with the S3 system (20% of SA coated CaCO 3 ) exhibiting best combination of mechanical properties. Thermal study revealed that particle type and content had no influence on the melting temperature but the crystallization temperature, % crystallinity and thermal stability increased on increasing the CaCO 3 content in PBT matrix. Morphological observation indicated that in PBT composites containing SA coated CaCO 3 , the coupling agent favours a better polymer filler interaction rendering inorganic polymer interface compatible, which is also evident from better mechanical and thermal properties.